


Falling in Love With an Oracle

by Snowwolf



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:55:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21794134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowwolf/pseuds/Snowwolf
Summary: Alya was just a girl living in the Kou Empire, the only difference being, she could see Rukh. Her only thoughts were of how to get her next meal. She meets Judal when she is swept off the streets by guards and brought before the Emperor. After a confrontation, Judal suddenly decided she will be his personal servant! How will she survive? Will she fall in love with Judal?
Relationships: Judal | Judar (Magi)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1: Personal Servant? When Did I Agree to This?

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first AO3 fic and was originally posted on Fanfiction.net under my account there (RussianSnowwolf). There have been some minor grammar and phrasing edits but otherwise has remained the same to its original post in 2013. I will continue to update the chapters as I re-read and edit them.
> 
> This is a JudalxOFC starting just before the Balbadd Arc.
> 
> This story was started before the truth of the Kou Empress was told in manga chapter 193 so she appears to not see Ruhk in this chapter.

Chapter 1: Personal Servant? When Did I Agree to This?

The guards jostled the slender girl between them as they lead her through the empirical hall. Her shoulders were hunched as if to protect herself; her bottom lip quivered under her bite. This morning, guards had come upon the girl's, Alya's, market stand, grabbing her without an explanation. All her friend, who helped with the stand, could do was stay with the stand, watching them. No one could oppose the Kou guards.

They led her to large double doors where they handed her off to other guards. These guards led her into a throne room. For the moment that she could look, there was a throne where the emperor sat; beside him was a woman, the empress; and to the woman's left stood the empire's oracle—she had seen him walking the streets before. He had given her a strange look before quickly leaving the street just yesterday. The usual black things flew around him, giving her the creeps. But her glimpse was not long for one of the guards grabbed her by the hair and forced her head low to the ground, her body crumbling in place to keep up.

"Is that her, Judal?" a rough voice questioned, most likely the emperor’s. Judal, if Alya recalled, was the name of the oracle.

There was no reply but the king hmmed as if he had heard, or perhaps seen, something the girl could not. "Lift her head" a female voice added. The empress's melodious voice fit her innocent, loving-mother appearance.

The guard pulled the girl’s head up with her hair, sending pain through her scalp. She didn't dare look at the imperial family in the eyes, instead she glanced around before settling on Judal. Some of those black flying things flew at her, she kept herself from cringing and it flew past. She had learned a while back that most people didn't see what she could. She didn't want them to think she was insane… A few more flew past her but she just looked at the floor, pretending they didn't exist.

"Well?" the queen asked.

"Nothing," an annoyed male's voice answered. "I see the Rukh, but she doesn't seem to. Or she's a really good faker"

Alya kept her mouth shut, unsure what these "Rukh" were but it sounded like those flying butterflies she kept seeing.

"Sweet, you should go, I'll take care of this with Judal," the empress said. Alya heard a sigh as the king got up and exited without protest. Judal came up to her and grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her with him as the guard let go.

Alya decided this was the best time to try to defend herself. "I- I don't know what I'm accused of, but…but I assure you I have not done it. I'm just a humble peasant! I would never dare offend the empire," she rushed, keeping her eyes plastered to the floor. She heard a chuckle but Judal did not reply.

He led her to a separate smaller room and closed the door behind them. The empress was already there. Though the empress looked pretty and kind, Alya had a bad vibe about her. There were no white butterflies that Alya had begun to regard as good messengers. The black ones that surrounded Judal seemed evil. The empress also had black ones flying around, but there were fewer. What was most scary about her was that as a white butterfly would soar by her, it would turn pitch black…it would become corrupted.

Judal released her and came to the empress’s side. "I still think she's faking. The Ruhk are attracted to her so she has to be special. Anyone with a lot of Ruhk can command them!"

"Will you test it out then?" the empress’s kind smile melted away.

Judal smiled. In a flash, Alya felt a stabbing pain in her right shoulder as she was forced backward against the wall. She slid to the ground, her left hand coming to her shoulder as the pain continued. Her shoulder felt slick… Glancing down with a gulp, she saw the magically formed ice stabbed into her flesh, her cream shirt was being dyed red as blood was soaked into its fabric.

She looked up in horror, seeing the accumulation of white butterflies—they called them ruhk?—around Judal's red jeweled wand. He pointed the wand at her and she squeaked, looking away, bracing herself for the hit. A few seconds later she opened one eye and looked up. Judal watched her with more annoyance than before.

"What happened Judal?" The empress asked.

"The Ruhk… side-passed her? They just… went around her… she didn't even have a Borg up…" He couldn't seem to make sense of it. Alya didn't understand but she didn't waste time. He was going to kill her! She had to get out of there. She tried to pull at the ice in her shoulder to no avail; it hurt too much to move it. She didn't have time to try for long anyway. Judal strode up to her.

"How the hell did you do that, Bitch." He exclaimed, cornering her. He grabbed the ice in his hand and pulled it out. Alya screamed in pain, tears coming to her eyes.

"I- I didn't do anything"

"You definitely saw the Ruhk! You flinched, knowing it was coming."

"I… I don't know what Ruhk are," she whimpered, telling the truth. She really didn't know what they were, she just saw the butterflies.

"Do you see these," Judal growled pointing at the air where the black butterflies flew about them.

She gulped but nodded slowly.

Judal opened his mouth, about to say something but he stopped as he stared at her bleeding shoulder. She took the moment to look at the damage only to see the gathered white Ruhk covering it. The bleeding had stopped and the pain was slowly disappearing. Judal lifted his hand causing Alya to jerk. Was he going to hit her? But he didn't, his hand hovered a bit over her shoulder. He watched, seeming enchanted by the sight.

"Judal?" the empress called. Judal blinked and looked back at her. "Well?"

"She has no clue what's going on. She's not dangerous…" He glanced back at her. "But she's… interesting. I’ll keep her." He smiled at his decision, sending a chill down Alya's spine.

"If you want her, you can have her." She smiled. The empress watched as Judal took Alya by the arm and dragged her along as they left the room and headed down a hall, passing many watching servants.

He pulled her into a room and closed the door. "This will be your new home." He announced when she looked at him confused. "You're my personal servant." He said it so matter-of-factly that it through her off-guard.

"But I… I have my market stand to watch over… and my parents… I…"

Judal watched her angrily. Suddenly he pushed her. She fell onto the large bed in the room. He was above her before she could get to her feet. Pain shot through her shoulder again and she whimpered. Judal noticed and glanced at her shoulder. He got up and left the room without a word.

Alya got up and watched the door, unsure of what to do. Should she run? She was so confused. Sinking to the floor, she stayed there for a long time. The Ruhk settled back on her shoulder and the pain slowly faded again.


	2. Chapter 2: Sudden Illness

Chapter 2: Sudden Illness

"Alya!" Called one of the palace maids, Dima.

Alya looked up, seeing the baskets Dima carried, she understood. "Coming!" She rushed over and helped carry the dirty clothing to the washing area.

It had been about a week since Alya had unwittingly become a maid in the palace. She was Judal's personal servant but she had not seen Judal much, thankfully. She was afraid of him to her core. The shoulder had healed lovely but she still remembered the pain and fear from before. The last time she had seen him was the day he had taken her as his servant. When he returned, Alya preceded to try arguing her case. She couldn't just stay there! Her father was incapable of work because of his broken leg, and her mother was just barely making enough to keep them going. Her friend couldn't just watch the market stand forever either. She had to work too. Judal listened to her calm. When she was done he smiled, "Is that all?"

She was shocked. He didn't care! But it turned out he did, at least a little. Or maybe he was just arrogant and got whatever he wanted no matter the cost… He proposed something to her. "As a servant, you get paid," he told her waving away her concern. She had not known that but she did not know how the palace worked. She was still concerned of how she would get the money to her parents but she kept quiet. If she could get money for her service at the palace, it would probably be more than she would ever make on her own… Judal left soon after. A maid came in a bit later, introducing herself as Dima. She explained that she would teach Alya the ropes of the job.

Alya wiped away the sweat from her brow after setting the basket down. She smiled to Dima. "I should get back to my work."

Dima nodded. "Thank you for the help. Are you ok though? You look a little flushed"

"I'm feeling fine" Alya said before running off. Dima watched as she ran. She had been surprised that Judal had decided on an inexperienced maid for his personal servant, especially after rejecting every servant that had been offered to him by the emperor and empress. However, she liked Alya; she was cheerful and worked hard for her pay. She hadn't been that way the first day. Dima had found her cowardly and clumsy. She was spooked at every noise. She had recovered from the fear though, only showing it when Judal was mentioned.

Alya picked up the basket of wild flowers she had gathered and headed to her… his room. Strangely, he was never there. She stopped when she heard his familiar voice. "There you go with flowers again. Do you really like flowers that much?" She looked around; where was his voice coming from. She glanced up and found him on the roof tiling, leaning back. He was enjoying a peach.

Alya began to sweat, stuttering slightly. "I-I was replacing the d-dry flowers." She couldn't even make eye contact with him so she stared at the dirt.

"Hmmm" He studied the peach core before tossing it.

It grew quiet. She fiddled with the basket, unsure what to do. "So this is where you have been? Is this your favorite spot?" She asked, trying to keep a conversation going. She may have feared him, but silence was even worse. Silence meant she didn't know if he was staring at her, or if he was thinking of killing her. Talking meant he had his thoughts on something else.

He seemed surprised. "Where I've been?"

"You… you're never in your actual room." She explained. She looked up. He was staring back at her, leaning his head on his hand, elbow against the tile.

"Oh." He was silent for a moment. "I prefer being out here."

"Then why do you need a personal servant?" she couldn't keep her curiosity down and blurted out whatever came to her mind. Her fear had stopped and she was becoming at ease.

Judal shrugged. "I don't really need one."

"I see…" she glanced back at her basket. After some silence, she heard movement and Judal jumped down beside her. Black Ruhk fluttered around them. She dropped the basket from fright. "D-don't do that!" she exclaimed, quickly picking the flowers up again. He just laughed at her, thankfully ignoring the order.  _ Who am I to order the oracle to not do something… _

He soon left her though, having gotten bored, to do her own thing. She quickly made her way to the room. There she replaced the old dried flowers at the bedside with the fresh ones before she headed back out. She didn't have much to do since Judal was never around so she helped out the other maids when she was done.

Before she reached the door, her vision blurred for a second and she faltered. "Strange." She went to take another step but tripped, her legs buckling. She pushed herself up with shaking hands, sitting in place for a moment while she waited for the room to stop spinning. The spinning did not stop and when she tried to stand she fell again, blacking out.


	3. Chapter 3: Fever

Chapter 3: Fever

Judal lazily strode up to his room, deciding he really should come back more often now that he had a servant that required orders. He hadn't even though much about it until seeing Alya today. He opened the door about to shout for Alya but froze upon seeing  _ his _ servant on the floor, unconscious. She was breathing heavily, and her complexion was pale, more so than usual. A contrasting deep red flush spread over her cheeks.

He hovered over her for a second, watching the white Ruhk fly around her in a confused frenzy. Without thinking, he turned back out of the room and found a few servants in the hall. "Go get a doctor." He ordered. One girl ran off to find a doctor, a fearful expression on her face after hearing Judal's anger in his voice. The other, Dima, stayed. "Is something the matter Lord Oracle?" He looked at her coldly but explained, "My servant is unconscious." Dima quickly headed to the room with him and ran up to Alya's side. She turned her over and felt her forehead. "She has a fever!"

The doctor confirmed Dima's diagnosis when he arrived to the room. "I believe she will be fine if she just rests. The body is a delicate instrument; the sudden change in her life may have upset the balance." The doctor nodded to himself. But Judal was impatient and grabbed the doctor.

"Fix her now."

The doctor's eyes widened. "I'm very sorry Lord Oracle but I can't. She should sleep and she will be fine."

"Lord Magi," came a voice at the door. Two black-robed men came in. One muttered something to Judal while the other inspected the scene. "You may leave" he told the doctor and the maids. They scurried out without needing to be told twice.

_ Poor Alya… _ Dima thought.  _ First being dragged in by Lord Judal, and now a high fever? _ She had been hearing the rumors of how Judal had suddenly dragged Alya from a room and threw her in his own room. That was the day he had made her his servant, but the others wondered what had happened in either of those rooms…

When the others had left Judal grumbled. "I can't leave right now." He glanced at Alya's form under the covers. Her shallow inhales and exhales worried him. And his worry made him confused… Why was he worried?

"We can take care of the girl," one said. "It seems like her body is reacting to the large presence of black Ruhk. If it gets more used to the Ruhk, this should not happen again. We will bring her to headquarters and when you get back you can retrieve her."

Judal thought for a moment. "Sure, fine. Whatever." He couldn't cling to the girl like this; it was just laughable! Maybe keeping her away would do his head some good. He headed out the door nonchalantly. Once outside, he got on his flying carpet. He was in a hurry to get done with this. He had to go to the ocean port nation. What was it again? B… Bal… Balbadd? Yeah that was it. Sounded boring. He hoped it would be a little more fun than it sounded.


	4. Chapter 4: Waking Up in Al Thamen

Chapter 4: Waking Up in Al Thamen

Alya jolted upright into a sitting position. She put her hand to her chest, feeling her heart racing, as she breathed quickly and shallow. She sat there quietly until it slowed down. "That was a horrible nightmare," she muttered to herself. Her brows furrowed as she looked around the unfamiliar room. "Where am I?" The room was very simple, containing white walls, the bed she sat on, and a door.

She slid off the bed, her bare feet touching the cold floor. A shiver went up her spine as she stood up, using the bed for support while her legs wobbled. "How long was I out? I feel so weak." Stepping farther away from the bed, her white dress fell around her, gliding against her legs. She frowned at the realization that this was not her servant outfit. In fact, the fabric itself was far nicer, not even mentioning that the design was that of a Kou noble. Her face reddened at the thought that someone had changed her clothes while she was asleep… Asleep? Oh that's right, she had gotten dizzy. She remembered hearing Dima's voice… and Judal's… and a lot of unfamiliar whispering voices…

Making her way to the door, she opened it a crack and looked into the dark long hallway. When she saw no one else she opened the door farther and walked out. As her eyes adjusted to the dark hallway she began to notice movement around her. She squeaked when a cluster of black Ruhk flew across her vision. To her right the hall was filled with black Ruhk… There were fewer to her left so she turned that way, feeling a little more confidants with so few near.

Before she could take a step farther, she felt something familiar and her stomach flipped. She turned around to the hall of black Ruhk, her hand outstretched subconsciously. A black Ruhk fluttered down and landed on her finger. She gasps as sudden images fly past her eyes. The dark hall was gone, before her stood a castle by the sea. It wasn't the same as the Kou palace though. Around she saw people looking up so she followed their gaze, settling on a large black creature in the sky. Beside the creature flew Judal. His signature smirk never left his features as he yelled down at some unfamiliar people not to far away. One of these people suddenly made the white Ruhk around him turn into a large giant. As Judal attacked, a wave of heat spread over the courtyard as the giant attacked back. Alya watched in shock and confusion. She felt a throbbing in her head when she looked at the black monster so she looked instead to the boy surrounded by white Ruhk only to see his forehead glowing. Not even the screaming drew her attention away from that circle. That was, until she heard Judal scream "Stop". She turned just in time to see him holding his head, a horrified, pained look on his face as he fell from the sky. Shocked, she reached out to grab him but she was back in the dark hall. The black Ruhk flew around her in seeming distress. As she calmed, so did the Ruhk.

She sighs to herself. _Why should I care if he's in pain! He's done nothing to help me._ She turned away from the black Ruhk and saw the wings of a white Ruhk as it landed on her shoulder. Suddenly she was in Judal's room again in the Kou palace. She saw herself lying on the floor, looking feverish. Dima was holding her, feeling her forehead. Judal stood not too far away, a worried expression on his face. The scene changed. She was looking at herself lying on a bed; the doctor was talking to Judal. Suddenly Judal grabbed the Doctor by the collar. "Fix her now." Soon, two black robed men came in. Their faces were covered, making Alya curious of what they were hiding. They whispered something to Judal, who looked down at her form on the bed saying "I can't leave right now." That same worried expression appeared, making Alya's stomach twist. She reached out to Judal, "I'm ok, see?" she said.

She was standing back in the hall, confused for a moment where she was. She glanced at the white Ruhk still on her shoulder and sighed. She couldn't just leave Judal if he was in pain… not after seeing his worried face in her vision. "Are you going to lead me?" she asked the Ruhk. It flew off her shoulder and headed down the black Ruhk hall. Alya hesitated only for a moment. But as she stepped forward, the black Ruhk surprisingly moved out of her way, leaving a clear path, which closed up behind her as she walked past.

The white Ruhk leads her for what felt like forever in those dark hallways. Eventually it stopped in front of a door. Alya slowly and cautiously opened the door. Inside, she realized she must have been on the second floor. She stepped in onto a path that encircled the two-story room; in the middle of the room was a large opening in the ground. Beneath was what looked like an assembly. The people there had black Ruhk all around them, making the room so full of the nasty things that it was suffocating her. In the very center, Judal lay unconscious on an elaborate pattern. She watched quietly from above as the gathered people stood in circles and chanted. The chants seemed to echo throughout the room, making Alya's head throb painfully. She held her head in much the same way Judal had in her vision, and whimpered pitifully. She made a hasty retreat from the room of chanting; there was nothing she could do for Judal when he was surrounded by so many people, not with her head hurting so bad she couldn't think straight.

She looked around the hall; the white Ruhk was gone… where would she go? How could she get out of here? She began wandering aimlessly, only half aware of her surroundings. The chanting and pain had left her exhausted.

She was awakened from her half dazed state by a shout. A black robed man was pointing at her. She freaked out and fled, hearing him yell stop at her. She didn't dare to stop or look behind, she just ran. Turning a corner sharply, she opened the next door she found and went in, closing the door as silently as she could behind her. She stood against the door, holding her breath as she listened. A few sets of feet ran past the door noisily, not stopping. Finally she took a breath and slid down the door to the ground, all adrenaline dissipating, leaving her again in a dazed state. She tried to look around the room but found her eyelids too heavy. Her head slumped and she fell into sleep.


End file.
